One of the most popular names on the NFL rumor mill ahead of the trade deadline was Minnesota Vikings edge rusher, Danielle Hunter. His name has been mentioned as a potential trade candidate for months, going back to the summer.
Hunter wanted to either receive a new contract or a trade from the Vikings over the offseason. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was unwilling to concede on either front, as the two sides agreed to an amended 2023 contract, upping Hunter’s base salary to $17 million.
When the team got off to a 1-4 start this season, punctuated by the injury to star wide receiver Justin Jefferson, it seemed like Hunter’s chances of being traded were going up. However, the team ripped off three straight wins ahead of the deadline, pulling back to the .500 mark.
No one would have been surprised if the Vikings still went through with selling after starting quarterback Kirk Cousins injured his Achilles and will be sidelined for the remainder of the season. Alas, the only trade the team made was acquiring Joshua Dobbs from the Arizona Cardinals to become their new starter.
In the weeks leading up to the deadline, Hunter didn’t speak about the rumors he was embroiled in often, if at all. But, in the days following the deadline, he opened up more about all of the trade rumors.
“I’ve had people talk to me about that, but it was never really anything in the back of my head. I was always going to be here,” Hunter told reporters in front of his locker. “There’s always some stuff going on with that, and you don’t ask me, you ask the [general manager]. My job is to play football, and that’s why I’m here. I’ve always loved doing what I’m doing, so I don’t pay attention to outside noise.”
If Hunter’s tenure with the Vikings is going to continue beyond 2023, it is going to cost them. He is currently leading the NFL with 10.0 sacks this season, on pace to shatter his previous career-high of 14.5.
He just turned 29 on October 29th, so there is plenty of gas left in his tank. If Minnesota doesn’t retain him, Hunter is going to make another team very happy with his pass-rushing ability.
It would be a brutal blow for the Vikings losing Hunter for nothing in free agency. The rest of the team has combined for only 13 sacks on the season, as he is a one-man wrecking crew at times getting after the quarterback.
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